ACROSS THE NATION.

Mechanic guilty in rape, slaying of 11-year-old

SARASOTA, FLORIDA — A mechanic was convicted Thursday of kidnapping, raping and strangling an 11-year-old girl whose abduction was captured by a carwash security camera.

Joseph Smith, 39, could get the death penalty.

The jury took about five hours to find him guilty in the slaying of Carlie Brucia, whose body was found outside a church more than four days after the 6th grader disappeared in February 2004 while walking home from a friend's house.

Smith was arrested after being identified as the burly, tattooed man in a mechanic's uniform who was seen taking the girl by the wrist and leading her away in a grainy video that was broadcast nationwide during the search for the killer.

Prosecutors built their case on the footage, the testimony of Smith's friends and co-workers who said they recognized Smith in the video, DNA and hair-analysis evidence.

Carlie's killing spurred the introduction of federal and state legislation to crack down on probation violators. At the time of the slaying, Smith was in violation of the terms of his probation on a cocaine charge.